Roasting and like furnace.



U. WEDGE.

ROASTING AND LIKE FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1907.

939,880. Patented N019, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

U. WEDGE.

ROASTING AND LIKE FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1907.

939,880. Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UTLEY WEDGE, or ARDMORE, rEnNsYLvANIA.

noas'rrwe Ann LIKE FURNACE.

esasso.

. i To all whom at may concern. a Be it known that I, UTLEY WEDGE, a citi- "an of the United States, residing in Ardrirore, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Roasting and. Like Furnaces, of which the following is a specification. a

The object of my invention is to so construct a furnace for roasting, oxidizing, desulfurizing, decarbonizing, chlorinating, chloridizing, etc.,- (hereinaftenfor convenience, referred to simply as an ore roasting furnace) that the rapid preliminary heating or incipient roasting of the ore can be effected without interference with the subsequent recovery of it may be desired This object I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of one form of furnace'constructedin accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of furnace embodying certain features'of my invention. Referring, in the first instance, toFig. 1 of the drawings, 1 represents the outerwall of thefurnace, which is preferably of circular form, the interior of the furnace being divided by transverse hearths 2 and a roof 3'into a series of superposed working chambers 4, each provided,vby preference, with stirring and conveying 'mechanism of any hearth and causing ucts of combustion jsuitable feedingor wet ore is discharged into theuppermost "working chamber of ing chamber 11,

appropriate character, mounted upon a central shaft 5, which with blocks 6 of refractory material to protect it from the heat, the various workingchambers communicating with e ch other through passages 7, and the lowef chamber having ore discharge outlets 9 and a gas out-- let flue 10. v 3

"Above the furnace may be mounted any device, whereby theggreen working chamber of the furnace. v

Beneath the hearth 2' of the lowermost the furnace is a heat:

"area of the said chamber 11, saidproducts of combustion being derived from a fireplace.

Specification of Letters Patent.

" 13 of any cated, or, instead of said fireplace, any ava1l-,

the vapors 'or gases which to save in whole or in part.

properly vore being filled" by flow driven off from the is preferably sheathed removing the ore, from the between lowermost working. chamber of the furnaceand that above the same. v(the stirring and conveying furnace consist; of blades'lfi carried by arms preferably, providedwith brick checker-workpartitions 12 which per-- form the double' duty ofsupporting said,

distribution, of the prod; i throughout the j entire I fatentejd Nov. 9, 1909.

' Application filed fiovemlier 29, 1907. Serial No. 404,309.

appropriate charactensuitably loable oil or gas burner ma be employed.

After the products 0 combustion have circulated through the heating chamber 11 they pass, by means of a flue 14:, to the second working chamber of the series, and thence through the passages 7 in successionto the chambers above the same, finally escaping from the uppermost chamber in any desired manner.

Flow of gas fronr ing chamber 1 to that above it is prevented by providing, at the lower end of each of the passages 7 between said working chambers, ashelf 15, upon which the ore collects and accumulates until it has backed up in the passage in quantity sufiicient to, prevent the lowermost workupward flow of gas therethrough, each .pas-

sagebeing 0 en 'at one side in order that the ore deposited upon the shelf 15 may be removed therefrom in sufficient quantity to feed the lowermost chamber of the the place -of'the removed bodies of ofIore from'the upper portion of the passage, but the quantity of 'ore removed atany one time not being'sufficient to unseal thepassage. The lowermost working chamberthus acts as a muffle furnace, the heatbeing applied thereto externally and no access of the products of combustion to the working chamberbeing permitted for admixture with the gases ore'insaid chamber, while inth e upper chambers of the furnace the products of combustion are permitted to come into direct contact with the ore and therefore effect the drying and preliminary heatin of the same much more rapidly furnace,

than if'it were treated entirely in a furnace of the muffle-type.

Any desired T432115 may be employed for sealed passages devices of the 17, on the ha'ft fia simple means of accomwith suitable scrapers 1 9, overlapping the 'outer portions of the shelves 15, asishown, so. as to scrape the ore from said shelves 'as'the scrapers are carried around by "the armsg'l1'7, the oreflowing'down jonto arms 1 When I so

the muttle furnace receives its supply of ore from an elevated rotary kiln 20, such as is commonly employed in the manufacture of cement, this kiln being slightly inclined and the wet or green ore being supplied through a suitable spout 21 to the elevated end of.

the kiln, and, after flowing downwardly throughthe same, being discharged through another spout 22 into the working chamber of the muttle furnace wherein it is treated in the same manner as in the lowermost working chamber in the furnace shown in Fig. l.

The products of combustion from the heating chamber.ll pass through a flue 23 to the discharge end of the rotary kiln :20, then flow through the same in contact with the downwardly traveling mass of ore there in, and finally escape through a suitable dis charge flue 2%, whereby the drying and preliminary heating of the ore isetlected by direct contact of the products of combustion therewith, and the final treatment of the ore for the recovery of thegases therefrom is effected in a mutlie furnace, com munication between the latter and the retary kiln 20 being prevented by sealing the lower end of the spout 22, and providing for the removal of the ore therefrom by scrapers 19 on the stirrer arms 17 in the same manner as in the furnace shown in Fig. 1.

Although, in each of the embodiments of my invention which .I have shown, but one mufile chamber is employed for the recovery of the gases driven off from the ore by the heat, it will be evident that a plurality of such chambers may be employed, if desired, the passage between the first mufiie chamber and the chamber above the same,

to which the products of combustion are admitted, being sealed against the passage bustion are excluded from contact with said material, and eachof said members may compriseany desired number of treating.

chambers. The arrangement of the members of the furnace may'also be reversed, if desired, that is to say, the material under treatment may first pass through the mufile member, and then through the open member.

1 claim i l. A furnace in which are combined an open member in which the heating gases have access to the material under treatment and a muiile member from which said heating gases are excluded, means for collecting the gases produced in said muffle member, and a central shaft carrying, in both the open and mufiie members of the furnace, means for stirring and conveying the material on the hearths thereof.

.2. A furnace in which are combined two members operating successively upon the material under treatment, one of said members, being an open memberin which the heating gases have access to the material under treatment and the other a muffle member from which said heating gases are excluded, means for collecting the gases produced in, the muffle member of the furnace, and a central shaft carrying means located both in the open and mut'rle members of the furnace and serving to stir and. convey the material upon the hearths of the same. i

3. A furnace in which are combined an open member to which the heating gases have access, a muffle member from which the heating gases are .excluded,and means whereby the material under treatment is caused to pass first through the open member and then through the muffle member.

l. A furnace in which are combined two members, operating successively upon the material under treatment, one of said members being an open member and the other a mufiie member, the communication between said members having a seal whereby flow of gas therethrough is prevented.

5. A furnace in whichare combined an open member, a muffle member, and means whereby the material under treatment is caused to pass first through the open member and then through the mufile member,

communication between said members hav- .under treatment is caused to pass in succession, a terminal chamber or chambers of the series constituting part of a muffle furnace,

and another chamber or chambers per--- 939,880 g I as mitt ing access of products of combustion to I fuel burner and a plurality of working chambers through which the material under treatment can pass in succession, terminal chamber or chambers of the series constituting part of a mullle furnace, and being externally heated by the products of combustion from said fuel burner, and another chamber or chambers of the series directly receiving said products of combustion and causing them to contact with the material under treatment.

9. A furnace having a fireplace or other fuel burner and a plurality of working chambers through which the material under treatment can pass in succession, a terminal chamber or chambers of the series constituting part of a muflle furnace, and being externally heated by the products of combustion from said fuel burner, and another chamber or chambers of the series directly receiving the products the muffle furnace chamber and the adjoining working chamber being sealed against the passage of-gas therethrough.

10. A furnace having a plurality of working chambers disposed one above another and through which in succession the material under treatment is caused to pass, a fireplace orother fuel burner, a heating chamber in communication therewith and disposed below the lowermost working chamber, and communication between said heating chamber and a chamber or chambers above said lower chamber.

11. A furnace having a plurality of working chambers disposed one above another and through which in succession the material under treatment is caused to pass, a fireplace, or other fuel burner, a heating chamber in communication therewith and disposed below the lowermost working chamber, communication between said heating chamber and a chamber or chambers above said lower chamber, and a sealed communication between said lower chamber and the chamber above the same, whereby the escape of gas from said lower chamber into said upper chamber is prevented.

v12.,A furnace having a plurality of working chambers disposed one above another and through which in succession the'mateof combustion and causing them to contact with the material under treatment, communication between .uting the products rial under treatment is caused to pass, a-

ing chamber and a chamber or chambers above said lower, chamber, and means for v distributing the products of combustion in the heating chamber.-

13. A furnace having a plurality of working chambers disposed one above another and through which in succession the mate- 4 rial under treatment is caused to pass, a fire place or other fuel burner, a heating chamber in communication therewitlrand disposed below the lowermost working chamber, communication between said heating chamber and. a chamber or chambers above said lower chamber, and means for distribof combustion in the heating chamber, said means also constituting a support' for the floor or hearth of the working chamber above said heating chamber. 14. A furnace havinga plurality of Work- 35 ing chambers disposed one above another and through which the material under treatment iscaused to pass in succession, a shelf for causing the piling up of the material under treatment in the passage between a lower working chamber and a chamber above the same, and means for effecting a gradual removal of material from said shelf.

15. A furnace having a plurality of working chambers disposed one above another and through which, in succession, the material under treatment is caused topass, means for externally heating a lower Working chamber and for internally heating, by the direct flow of products of combustion therethrough, a chamber or chambers above the same, a shelf cooperating with the passage between the lower working chamber and the chamber above the same, and serving to back up the material under treatment in said passage, and means for gradually removing the material from said shelf.

16. A furnace having a plurality of working chambers disposed one above another v and through which, in succession the mate- 1'10 rial under treatment is caused to pass, a

shelf cooperating with the passage between a lower chamber and a chamber above the same and serving to back up the material under treatment in said passage so as to seal the same, a rotatable shaft having a projecting arm in said lower chamber, and a scraper mounted on said arm and serving to remove the material under treatment from said shelf.

17. A furnace having a plurality of working chambers disposed one above another in the same structure, through which chambers in succession the material under treatment is caused to pass, means for'externally heat- 12 ing the lowermost chamber of the series, and means -forinternally heating, by direct flow of the products of combustion therethrour h, a plurality of the chambers above the same. I 130 in succession, the material under treatment is caused to pass, means for externally heat- 1n the lowermost chamber and for interna 1y heating, by direct flow of the products a of combustion therethrough, a plurality of chambers above the same, and means for sealing against the flow of gas the communieeegsso cation between the lowermost chamber and the chamber above the same.

In testimony whereof, I have slgiied my name to this specification, 111 the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, UTLEY WEDGE. I

Witnesses: HAMILTON D. TURNER, KATE A. BEADLE. 

